Saturday, August 11, 2007

Watch My Shoes!

These children--and adults--around here are getting on my nerves singing this song. I suppose the chorus does sort of stick in your head, though.

Anyway, as school begins, it's time to start thinking about school shoes and such. My son is horrible on shoes, no matter the brand. I keep hoping he'll morph into one of those guys who identify with the lyrics above--the kind who wipe their shoes down every six steps or so, curse if you even think of accidentally brushing against them, and only wear each pair twice before putting them back in their box, storing them with mothballs, and relegating them to an airless facility or such.

I'm reminded of a pseudo-argument I had with the kid's father, R, this past spring.

R: I'ma get him some more shoes.

elle: Good, because he destroys them.

R: I'ma get him some white ones.

elle: Hell to the n-o!! Why do I have to keep telling you, dark colored ones?

R: I'm tired of that. Every guy needs a pair of white shoes (R is one of the type of guys profiled in the paragraph I wrote above).

elle: R, don't do that! I'm telling you, they. will. not. last.

R: He's old enough. I'm telling you.

At this point, said discussion devolves into his quite usual, "elle, you are so bossy; how you gon' tell me how to spend my money and what to buy for my kid?" mantra to which I half-heartedly listen then say, "Okay, whatever."

White shoes, six days afterthe first time my son wore them.

I am not kidding. He moonwalked on them during Friday night live (hence the separated tips) He played football in them at school. He apparently splashed in every puddle he saw.

I sent this camera phone picture to his father, I wasn't smug, though... not overly so. I get tired of him dogging his damned shoes, too.

I bought my stepson some white sneakers this summer--paid $39 plus tax for them. Then, I found another pair that were dark blue, and a dressing pair of brown shoes. He was easy on them; in fact, he was complaining about the dirt on them after about 1.5 weeks. I told him I would show him how to wash them.

I buy him shoes every time he comes. It's an ongoing battle with his mother. I don't like to spend a lot on kids shoes because they tear them up or grow out of them. But every time, he comes here his mother doesn't send him with any shoes, so I have to rush out and but him shoes. (I should send out his father; shouldn't I LOL!) She thinks the boy can wear sandals for three weeks straight. Last time I bought him two pairs, and he came back the next time and said, he wasn't wearing the shoes because his mom thinks they were ugly.

So this year is round 2 of this crap. He was braggin to his mom on the phone about his "Rhino" shoes, and how he is finally able to tie his shoes. We spent the whole time he was here practicing. We were teaching him how to tie his shoes at 5, but since his mom puts him in sandals all the time, he never learned to tie his shoes.

Can you tell this is a sore spot...You ain't the only one arguing over shoes. LOL!!

The other thing about sandals...your feet can get really ashy and cracked and you can get a fungus. But that's another thing we argue about lotion and hygiene.

My stepson's mother refuses to put lotion on the boy, and every time he comes we have to coat him in Vaseline for a week. I'm waiting for the kids at school to start calling him ashy Branden.

Oh and then there is the bathing--she sent him with $20 soap from Bed Bath and Body Works and was wondering why he wasn't getting clean. She's been putting deodorant on the boy since he was 4.

Oh and then there is toothbrushing-- she only makes him brush once a day in the morning, so all that sugar that he eats gets to sit in his mouth over night.

LOL!!! The joys of parental disagreements. I can't really say much since I'm the stepmother, but I get to listen to the screaming match between mommy and daddy. The big blow up this time was over that damn $20 soap.

Actually, it sounds like your situation is much better at least you two can talk about this, and when his Dad sees what he did, at least he'll know how long the shows last.